Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of when Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. broke Yankee Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak. I'm a Yankee fan but I do NOT mind that happening, in fact I admire Ripken because he PLAYED HURT....not like the seemingly fragile players of today!!
Last year the Yanks set a record for most players ever on the "I.L" (formerly the "D.L.") and they're not doing good in that crucial area THIS year, EITHER. It seems like it's getting to the point that a player can be "scratched" from the starting lineup BECAUSE of a scratch!! I'm sick of it. (THIS year they'll use the Coronavirus / shortened Spring Training as an excuse but we didn't have those issues LAST year)!!
Today is LABOR Day and I think of the days when I owned and operated my carpet cleaning business for 35 years. Not to brag, but MANY times I showed up for work when I was slightly sick, or injured. Up until Sept. 1995, GEHRIG was my inspiration...then CAL "took over" when he passed Lou on Sept. 6th. WHEN THERE'S A JOB TO DO YOU'VE GOT TO DO IT AS LONG AS YOU'RE REALISTICALLY CAPABLE. PERIOD!!
Do I mind Ripken taking the record away from a Yankee?? Not any more than ORIOLE fans mind that Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore, but became a star in NEW YORK (Lol)!! But seriously, no, I DON'T mind because Ripken's streak SAVED BASEBALL after the 1994 baseball strike just like RUTH saved it after the "Black Sox Scandal." People were really FED UP with baseball players STRIKING, of all things, but Cal emphasized a great work ethic and APPRECIATION for his job!! So, on this Labor Day 2020, I honor a guy who showed up for work EVERY SINGLE DAY there was a game, did his job and did it WELL. There will probably NEVER be anyone to surpass HIS streak. Thanks Cal, and I'm glad to hear that you beat the cancer, also!!
In other baseball news, CURT FLOOD passed away yesterday....the second Hall of Famer to die within a week!! See two blogs back for article about the other one, Tom Seaver.
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